I'm not an all-rounder: Harbhajan

June 21, 2010 20:11 IST

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Monday said he may not be a dud with the bat anymore but he is not an all-rounder either.

Harbhajan's batting has come a long way since his early days and it was evident again on Saturday when he hit a massive six off the penultimate delivery to script India's sensational win over Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup.

The offie, however, insists it is wrong to call him an all-rounder and said India did not get another since Kapil Dev quit the game.

"I'm not an all-rounder. Firstly, I am a bowler who can bat a bit and I want to keep it like that. I don't take too much of pressure on myself by being called an all-rounder which I am not," said Harbhajan.

Incidentally, Irfan Pathan's improved batting also earned him an all-rounder's tag but the left-arm seamer struggled to live upto the expectation and faded into the wilderness.

"There was only one all-rounder India produced and that was Kapil Dev. After that we haven't even produced an all-rounder half as good as Kapil," said Harbhajan.

Glad to have seen the side through in Saturday's tie with that six off Mohammad Aamer, Harbhajan was relieved not to end up on the wrong side of the edge-of-the-seat thriller.

"As a bowler batting down the order it is difficult to think if such a shot comes off. Good I was not at the receiving end. I am happy that I hit that six and we won the game," Harbhajan said on the eve of India's inconsequential first round match against Sri Lanka.

Still euphoric after the exciting win against Pakistan, Harbhajan said, "Whenever you play for your country and you win matches from a tight situation you feel great, you feel happy. The other thing is the whole country is watching and you obviously feel proud and happy that we won the game against Pakistan."

He expressed his desire to contribute to the team.

"My job is to play good cricket. It feels good to win a game for your country, especially against Pakistan. I am really happy with the way things have gone so far. I just want to keep contributing with ball and with bat," he said.

Talking about the match against Sri Lanka, he said, "There are two more important matches to play and I am looking forward to playing good cricket and finishing the tournament on a high note.

"Sri Lanka are very good side. They have very good line-up with Mahela (Jayawardene), (Kumar) Sangakkara and (Angelo) Mathew. Their bowling is also quite good. We need to play as well as we can and hope everyone chips in with their contribution," signed off Harbhajan.